35 Years Before Kill Bill, This Female-Led Martial Arts Duology Changed The Genre

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While Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill is famous, it’s not the first movie series to feature a female martial arts warrior seeking revenge. This kind of story has been around for a long time, actually starting in the mid-1960s. That era was when the martial arts genre was just beginning to develop into the style we know today.

Films like Come Drink With Me and Golden Swallow were important steps in the development of martial arts cinema. Released in 1966 and 1968, these movies – particularly Come Drink With Me – continue to influence popular martial arts films today, demonstrating their lasting impact despite how much the genre has changed.

Come Drink With Me Helped Shape The Future Of The Martial Arts Genre

Released in 1966, Come Drink With Me is a classic wuxia film directed by King Hu. It features Cheng Pei-pei as Golden Swallow, a skilled swordswoman who disguises herself as a man to rescue her brother from kidnappers. While searching for him, she encounters dangerous criminals and teams up with a powerful, but inebriated, fighter to overcome them.

The movie was a major success for Shaw Brothers, leading them to create a follow-up film, Golden Swallow, two years later. Cheng Pei-pei returned as Golden Swallow, and she was teamed up with Silver Roc, portrayed by Shaw Brothers’ leading man, Jimmy Wang Yu.

King Hu’s initial concept and Cheng Pei-pei’s powerful performance were key to the film’s success. They showed how Chinese opera and martial arts could be combined to create exciting, beautifully planned fight scenes featuring characters who seemed to take on entire armies single-handedly.

The film Come Drink With Me features a hugely impactful martial arts scene. It shows Golden Swallow entering a tavern and facing skeptical onlookers. As the men try to provoke her, she effortlessly demonstrates her strength and skill, easily defending herself without much effort. This scene has become incredibly famous and has been imitated in many other films.

The film Come Drink With Me and its follow-up sparked a surge in popular wuxia films featuring female leads. This included titles like The Lady Hermit, Touch of Zen, Dragon Gate Inn, and The Fate of Lee Khan. Many of these films are now considered among the greatest martial arts movies from the 1960s and 70s.

Come Drink With Me’s Influence Can Still Be Found In Modern Martial Arts Movies

The film’s influence extends beyond just its place in martial arts history, and continues to inspire filmmakers today. For instance, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directly references it by featuring Cheng Pei-pei – the original actress who played the Golden Swallow – as the film’s antagonist.

The rooftop chase and some of the fight choreography in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon clearly show that Ang Lee was inspired by the film Come Drink With Me. It’s appropriate, then, that one great wuxia film featuring a strong female lead was influenced by another.

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2026-01-14 04:10